Canadian Olympic Team Official Website

Unveiling the jersey: women triumph in Utah

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October 3, 2013

On October 8, Hockey Canada will unveil the jerseys to be worn in Sochi by Canadian women’s and men’s national hockey teams at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Leading up to the day, Olympic.ca will revisit the five gold medals won by Canada at the Winter Games and the jerseys worn en route to each gold medal performance.

The Game

An emotional national affair whenever the two superpowers of women’s hockey take to the ice, the occasion was further inflamed by rumours that the Canadian flag had been abused in the American locker room. Although the two countries issued a joint statement decrying any such event, the rumours persisted, adding another incentive for the Canadians to beat their biggest rival on their own ice in Utah.

Goals by Caroline Ouellette, Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford led Canadians to a 3-2 victory for Canada’s first gold medal in women’s Olympic hockey, avenging the loss in Nagano four years earlier. That there was an American referee in the final calling everything – and we mean everything – against Canada made it even sweeter.

The Jersey

Though similar to the 1998 jersey used in Nagano (two-colour neck pattern and prominent display of the Canadian Hockey Association logo in the front), there were multiple design changes, most notably the disappearance of a grey and white line across the collar and new black and white stripes along the bottom of the sweater. Stripe details changed on the sleeve as well and a heritage patch was added to each shoulder, which inspired a third jersey (more on this October 4).

History will be made in 2016 when Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hosts the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, marking the first time that a South American country will welcome the world to an Olympic Games. It is also just the third time that the Games will be held in the southern hemisphere, following Melbourne 1956 and Sydney 2000.